Newcastle leading race for £25m “superstar”

Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap will not ply his trade in Newcastle United’s stripes next season, for he is on the verge of signing for Chelsea after the Blues activated his £30m release clause.

It’s a blow for Eddie Howe’s side, to be sure, but not a detrimental strike on United’s transfer plans, especially when the allure of Champions League football could tempt some interesting profiles to challenge Alexander Isak for a place next year.

With Callum Wilson potentially leaving on a free at the end of the month, it’s important that someone is signed. And indeed, Newcastle are leading the race for a well-known European forward.

Newcastle leading race for new striker

It’s evident that the Toon want new faces in their forward line, with the most notable of targets being Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo.

They may not stop there, however, in their pursuit of adding to their Champions League challenging squad.

As per Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport, Newcastle are leading the race for Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic, with Turkish giants Galatasaray and Fenerbahce also among the frontrunners.

While the Old Lady would be open to extending the Serbian striker’s contract, it’s accepted in Turin that a summer sale is the more likely route at this stage.

Vlahovic, 25, is just one year away from free agency, and Juve are willing to cash in for a cut-price £25m, which is, of course, less than what the Magpies were willing to pay for Delap.

Why Newcastle want Dusan Vlahovic

Delap, 22, is a Premier League-proven striker who, in spite of Ipswich’s meek relegation, has captivated the interests of many top clubs, scoring 12 goals and leading talent scout Jacek Kulig to remark that he’s got “a huge future ahead.”

However, he’s not the only good centre-forward around, and Vlahovic could prove the perfect alternative.

There’s no doubt he’s struggled at Juventus, but still, the 6 foot 3 striker ranks among the top 24% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues this term for goals, the top 11% for shots taken and the top 10% for touches in the attacking box per 90, as per FBref.

Juventus paid £67m to sign Vlahovic from Serie A rivals Fiorentina in January 2022, and it’s probably fair to say he’s never quite recaptured the magic that led reporter Andrew Cesare to hail him as a “real superstar” as he burst onto the scene.

Though Vlahovic has still managed to maintain a comparative degree of prolificness, scoring ten Serie A goals from just 21 starts this season.

His athletic, powerful presence bears a likeness to that of Delap, and his natural inclination to poach and float around the box offers a nice contrast to that of Isa, who is one of the most rounded strikers out there.

The Serbian has showcased in the past a world-class level of goalscoring, and though he’s struggled for purchase in recent years, a clean slate in the Premier League could prove the making of him.

And it could give the Toon faithful a welcome boost to make them forget all about Delap’s decision to move to Stamford Bridge.

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